Whispers sounded around me, speculation on who was copying who. Lilliana and my dresses were similar enough that the rumor mill was working overtime. Especially with the addition of the children.The kids were now seated in their own private little table set up in the back of the room. They glanced
Utilize children? Elva was my daughter, not some prop!In my ear, Julian quickly whispered, “Pretend you don’t care.”“But, Elva…” I whispered back.He gave me a stern look, and I knew he was right. If I drew attention to myself, or to Lilliana, it would only create more attention. All I really want
Nicholas I hadn’t wanted to ask Lilliana on a second date, but after a threatening letter from the King this morning and the way he glared at me all dinner long, I knew I had very little choice in the matter. Especially if I wanted to help protect Piper. So I had pushed down the part of myself t
I felt the warmth of her hand long after she had removed it. I followed my father away from the dining room and to his rooms. He did not look back at me once, nor spoke to me until we were behind closed doors. Once the door had shut behind us, however, he swiveled to glower at me. “You’ve igno
The day of the garden party event, I awoke early, dressed, and hurried down to the kitchens to warm my stuffed mushrooms. Many of the girls were already in there, and I had to wait my turn at the ovens. I didn’t mind waiting this time, since the closer I heated my food to the start of the event, t
I tried to pull my eyes away just to prove him wrong. Too quickly, I was looking again. “She’s the King and Queen’s favorite,” Julian said. “Your brother’s, too.” I tried to keep the distain from my voice, but I was a poor actor. I was certain that it shone on through. “Maybe.” Julian studied
“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but we had given consideration to the spirit of the event,” I said. It wasn’t totally a lie. I had given some thought about how our divided display could still indicate some measure of cooperation, even if Linda hadn’t. “Explain yourself,” the Queen said. I motioned
I wished I could tell him that I understood he meant his words and that I appreciated them, but there was no real opportunity for me to do so. “Everyone needs to know their place, nobility and commoner alike,” Linda said. The King nodded. The Queen decided to change the subject, “I will try th